School Counseling
Hello, I am so excited to continue to support the students and parents in this amazing Beryl community! I grew up in Chicago and moved to the West Coast to pursue my passion for working in the school system with kids. I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Iowa and a Master's degree in Counseling with my Pupil Services Credential at Loyola Marymount University. I began my journey in education as a mental health therapist in Torrance. In August 2022, I left Beverly Hills Unified, where I was a middle school counselor, and joined the Beryl family.
My passion is working with students and helping them reach their full academic, social, and emotional potential. I aim to provide support and resources so that every student is successful. In my free time, I enjoy going to the beach, hanging out with my friends, and finding new dessert places to try. I will be on campus Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. I look forward to supporting you!
Counseling is a helping process in which the school counselor provides a safe, nurturing environment to foster a trusting relationship with students. In this confidential relationship, students can explore their feelings and experiences in hopes of finding a meaningful, positive solution to their personal issues. The school counselor can help students grow socially and emotionally by providing a listening ear and by teaching skills such as: understanding and managing feelings, solving problems, making friends, and more.
- Classroom Guidance- The counselor goes into the classrooms to teach knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will help students reach their full potential in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development.
- Small Group Counseling- The counselor works with students in smaller group settings to address specific areas of concern. Group availability is selected by the counselor based on the amount of need. If a group is unavailable, the counselor can work with a student individually.
- Individual Counseling- The counselor meets with individual students to help solve problems that are interfering with their learning and sense of well-being.
- Parent and Teacher Consultation- The counselor meets with parents and/or teachers regarding issues with students.
- Responsive Services- Includes crisis intervention, consultation, collaboration, and conflict resolution.
As a School Counselor, Mrs. Ruffolo develops confidential relationships with students. This means that information gathered through meetings with students and parents/guardians will be shared on a "need-to-know" basis only. She works to maintain the privacy of students and their families. When information needs to be shared, I will assess who needs to know and what information needs to be known to best help students and their families. I tell students, "What you say in here, stays in here. Except if...someone is hurting you, you want to hurt someone, or you want to hurt yourself."
- Stress
- Grief
- Suicide Prevention
- Youth Technology
